File-box.



P R E T S L E U H W w F I L E B 0 X (Application filed Apr. 26, 1 900.)

(No Model.)

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UNTTED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

WILLIAM W. HUELSTER, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

FILE- BOX.

SEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,797, dated October30, 1900.

Serial No. 14,42 2. (No model.)

To all 1077 0127, it may concern:

Be itknown that l,\/VILLIAM W. HU ELSTER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFile-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in file-boxes and its objects areto provide a de-' vice that will occupy but little space; to providemeans for limiting the hingemovement and to prevent straining the hinge;to provide means whereby the box will be properly centered in thepigeonhole of the case and held closed therein; to provide astrong,cheap, and durable construction, and to provide the device withcertain new and useful features hereinafter more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention consists, essentially, in a filebox having a hinged bottomextension projecting forward from the box, a front attached at rightangles thereto, angle-plates connecting the bottom and front havingelastic portions to engage the sides of the pigeonholes, and platesattached to the box and projecting therefrom to engage the hinged frontportion of the box, said respective plates also having slidableinterlocking portions,as hereinafter more fully described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective of a deviceembodying my invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section of thesame; Fig. 3, a plan view of a portion of the file-box proper, and Fig.4 a detail of a portion of the angle-plates.

Like letters refer to like parts in all of the figures.

A represents any suitable case having pigeonholes to receive thefile-boxes and of any convenient construction.

B shows the file-boxes proper, of less length than the pigeonholes inthe case A, open at the forward end and each provided with a forwardbottom extension B, hinged to the front edge of the bottom of thefile-box and turned upward at right angles at its forward end, as at B,and attached to the lower inner side of the front 0. At each side of thefront and rigidly connecting the same with the bottom extension B areangle-plates D. Flanges E and E are formed on the angleplates andsecured to the upper surface of the extension B and to the inner surfaceof the front 0. The flange E terminates at and abuts against the portionB of the extension B. The angle-plate is also recessed at D" toaccommodate the upturned part B of the extension B. In the upper part ofeach angle-plate is an elastic arm or spring F, integral with the plateand curved outward and thence inwardat its free end to yieldingly engagethe inner surface of the pigeonhole in the case A. This arm thus servesto hold the front 0 in closed position and to equalize the clearance ateach side of the same when the file-box is in position within the case.

To take the strain off the hinge and to limit the movement of. the frontpart of the box about the axis of the hinge, I provide plates 1,attached to the box and projecting outward therefrom and overlapping theangleplates, as at I, and movably connected there with, for whichpurpose I provide the angleplates with segmental slots G, concentricwith the axis of the hinge, and the plate I with a suitable hook or studH, extending through the slot G and engaging the side of the angleplate.This hook traverses the slot G and by engaging the end of the slotlimits the movement of the hinge-joint. The outer portion I also engagesthe flanges E, when the extension B is in line with the bottom of thebox and stop the same, and when the front of the box is turned down inopen position the said portion I engages the end of the said flange.Thus the engagement of the said extension I With the flange E and theengagement of the hook H with the shoulders at the ends of the slot Gboth serve to take the strain off the hinge, and thus make a verydurable structure.

The overlapping portions of the angleplates and the plates I are madesegmental in out-line and concentric with the axis of the hinge, thuspresenting a smooth round edge when open, each preventing the angleof-the other from contacting the hand of the user and presentinga neatvand symmetrical finish. It will also be observed that when closed thefront cannot be moved beyond the proper vertical position, and when openthe same cannot fall far enough to strike the front below it.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a box, a bottom extension hinged thereto, platesattached to the box and extension, and having overlapping portions, andmeans for slidably connecting said overlapping portions and limiting theturning of the extension, substantially as described.

2. The combination ofabox havinga hinged front extension, a plate havinga segmental portion, and a plate having ahook slidably engaging thesegmental portion of the other plate, said plates being respectivelyattached to the box and hinged extension, with said segmental portionconcentric with the hinge of the front extension, substantially asdescribed.

3. .The combination of a box havinga hinged bottom extension, platesattached to the box and extension and having overlapping segmentalportions, one of said plates having a segmental slot and the other platehaving a hook or st ud engaging the slot and traversing the same,substantially as described.

4. In combination with a file-box having a hinged bottom extension and afront attached thereto, angle-plates connecting the front and the bottomextension and having segmental slots concentric with the hinge, platesattached to the sides of the box and extending outward therefrom, andhooks on the plates engaging the segmental slots, substantially asdescribed.

5. In combination with a file-box having a hinged bottom extension and afront, angleplates having inwardly-turned flanges attached to the bottomextension and to the front, and also having segmental slots concentricwith the hinge, plates attached to the sides of the box and projectingoutward and engaging the bottom flanges on the angleplates, and hooks onthe said plates engaging the slots, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a file-box having a hinged bottom extension havingits outer end turned upward at right angles, a front secured to theupwardly-turned outer end of the extension, angle-plates having recessesnear the angle to receive the upwardly-turned end of the bottom, andinwardly-turned flanges secured to the bottom and to the frontand alsohaving outwardly-projecting elastic arms to engage the inner surface ofa pigeonhole in the case, substantially as described.

7. The combination of an angle-plate for file-boxes having tworectangular sides and flanges on the said side and a segmental slot, andalso having outwardly-projecting elastic arms, and adapted to beattached to the front and bottom of a file-box, and a plate adapted tobe attached to the side of a file-box and having a hook adapted totraverse the slot and slidably engage the surface of the angleplate,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIA M W. HUELS'IER.

Witnesses:

LUTHER V. MOULTON, M. V. EASTERBY.

